Harrogate businessman’s UN mission

A Harrogate businessman has embarked on a 15 year mission to help the United Nations deliver its goals for sustainable development.

Clive Wilson, who is a member of the United Nations Association in the UK, is planning to raise awareness of the UN’s pledge to make poverty history and will start his crusade in Harrogate next month.

Clive made the decision to dedicate the next stage of his life to promoting the UN’s messages of sustainability after reading two papers that he says made him stop and change direction.

The first paper was the 2014 report from the United Nations on the Millennium Development Goals or MDGs, which were drafted up at the turn of the century with a pledge to make poverty history.

Clive said:

The report found that global poverty had been halved by 2010, five years ahead of the 2015 target date, but that more needed to be done to accelerate progress.

He then studied the UN’s new draft Sustainable Development Goals which sets out 17 goals, most of which have a target of 2030.This was a poignant moment for him.

Clive had just finished writing his latest book “Designing the Purposeful Organization – how to inspire business performance beyond boundaries”.

Clive said:

I was beginning to realise how important purpose is in everything we do, not just business.

What I read in the draft SDGs was the design for a purposeful world. Here was a purpose that everyone could buy into irrespective of belief, race, class or gender. It is the vision for humanity that everyone can support and make their own.

I was immediately inspired and, as I put the proposal down, I made a decision that this would define the next chapter of my life.

Clive committed to dedicating the next 15 years to supporting the delivery of the SDGs and celebrating progress towards this end, from wherever it came.

Clive said:

One of the things that struck me about the SDGs is that there’s pretty well something for everyone. Whilst clearly there is much to be done in the so-called developing world, ending poverty, ensuring health for everyone and protecting our precious planet applies everywhere and to us all.

The SDGs provide inspiration for our education and career choices, whatever our age.

Clive has set up an SDGs Facebook page to celebrate progress and grow awareness and has started speaking to groups that want to know more.

He already has bookings at schools and universities where he intends to ask the question “what sort of world do you want?”.

Clive said:

Where I have done this before, people always answer with clear intention for the world described by the SDGs.

I then ask people which of the goals particularly resonate and what they might feel inspired to do.

Clive said he believes the SDGs present a unique vision for humanity that’s a stark alternative to the highly commercial glitz and glamour of the west or the oppressive or violent regimes at the other end of the spectrum.

Clive said:

In a world where people live in fear or despair, there is an urgent need for us all to envisage and work towards a compelling future. The SDGs give us that opportunity.

Whilst world leaders must clearly do their part, this is too big an opportunity for us to leave it solely to them.

If you’d like to know more about the SDGs, Clive is hosting a meeting in Harrogate on the evening of 17 August. Full details can be found at: